What I’ve come to realise about Keir Starmer….

I was brought up never to make a promise I can’t keep, and that’s the way I have always lived. I hear Starmer promising things that people want to hear, but I wonder what costed promises in a manifesto will look like? Time will tell.

I dare say I could get used to his somewhat nervous look. He has quite a furrowed brown and doesn't smile much, but maybe he wants to appear more serious in contrast to the days of bumptious Boris? Sunak is too smarmy.
But then I'm biased because my second cousin, once leader of a party, possesses more statesmanlike gravitas than the lot of them put together!
The Times article of yesterday about his family was interesting by the way.

*brow not brown

Germanshepherdsmum

I was brought up never to make a promise I can’t keep, and that’s the way I have always lived. I hear Starmer promising things that people want to hear, but I wonder what costed promises in a manifesto will look like? Time will tell.

There’s no problem. He’ll do what all PM’s do and blame the previous government for their not being the money to enable him to fulfil his manifesto promises.

rafichagran

I can't see the things others are seeing. He just looks normal to me.

Same here.

Not everyone's facial expression is a reliable indication of what they are thinking or feeling anyway.

I say this as someone who has been told to "cheer up, it might never happen" on more than one occasion by total strangers when I had been feeling perfectly happy until they said that.

My face seems to do its own thing unless I am making a conscious effort to control it.

How do you restrain yourself from not throwing something at them Oldnproud

I've seen lots of photos of Starmer smiling broadly, even laughing. As pointed out earlier the photos that are published are deliberately chosen. Given that it featured in a right wing paper I'm not surprised at this one.

I'm still reserving judgement on him, though I'll have no hesitation in voting Labour in the General Election as I think they cannot possibly be as bad as the current government, a government which needs to be buried..

What I did like was something he said during a podcast interview with James O'Brien about a year ago. Asked what he would want to achieve as PM , he said 'I want to see the country run properly'.
Which seemed like a pretty good aspiration to me.

silverlining48

Just read an article about him in Saturdays Times supplement. He didn’t have an easy start in life. He is well liked and respected by friends and colleagues. . I hope he is successful in the coming election, and do not have a problem with him being seen as serious. Politics is serious. I see it as a positive.
He has experience of having lived an ordinary life rather than an ivory tower.
As for photos, the Times must have had many to choose from, and they chose to use this one. They have their reasons. A few seconds later he coukd have been smiling….

He always looks like this. Does not inspire with his look of no confidence, never mind, Raynor will be wearing the trousers.

I trust him

I’m sure that’s exactly what will happen Molly. He has already said it would take more than one term to do certain things and I fully expect that will be the mantra going forward. Anyone who thinks a Labour government will give them a real change for the better is, imo, in for a disappointment. It will be a repeat of all the people who voted for Brexit (of which I am not one) and are now complaining about it.

Of course it will take longer than a term to undo the damage caused by years of Tory mismanagement. Anyone who thinks otherwise is going to be disappointed, but anyone with a modicum of political awareness will be fully expecting improvements to take time. At least Starmer is not lying about it. He's doing his best to manage expectations, but then gets abuse for doing so.

Doodle dog 👏

Germanshepherdsmum

I’m sure that’s exactly what will happen Molly. He has already said it would take more than one term to do certain things and I fully expect that will be the mantra going forward. Anyone who thinks a Labour government will give them a real change for the better is, imo, in for a disappointment. It will be a repeat of all the people who voted for Brexit (of which I am not one) and are now complaining about it.

As it's taken the tories four terms to bring the UK to its knees I think that expecting it all to be put right in one is highly unrealistic.

Not forgetting covid, the war in Ukraine and global inflation of course.

14 years of mismanagement and downright neglect/destruction of all our public services will take more than one term to begin to rebuild.
To suggest Angela Raynor will be ‘wearing the trousers’ completely misreads the situation. Its offensive nonsense

Which have affected every country in Europe. Can you tell us which other countries in Europe have worse public services now than the UK or than they did in 2010 Germanshepherdsmum? Do they have worse health services, worse crime rates, councils going bankrupt, increasing child poverty for example?

Germanshepherdsmum

He looks like a rabbit caught in the headlights.

As opposed to a rabbit dragged through a hedge. Backwards

Germanshepherdsmum

I was brought up never to make a promise I can’t keep, and that’s the way I have always lived. I hear Starmer promising things that people want to hear, but I wonder what costed promises in a manifesto will look like? Time will tell.

I know of at least four people who voted for Johnson because he was going to sort out social care. Remember that? Or Sunak's four (five?) Pledges? More empty promises are available

As people have said, generally what you see is what the media want us to see.

Here is a photo from a different source.

He doesn't appear to like wearing a tie much in the photos on here!

Joseann

He doesn't appear to like wearing a tie much in the photos on here!

True, but he combs his hair regularly, wears a suit that fits him properly, and looks like he’s had a wash, which is a good start.

He seems a very decent man. I think he’s honourable at least.
Photo’s can show anyone in a good or poor light.
He looked relaxed, smiling and happy with his wife on Valentine’s at some theatre venue, a musical I think. Anyway I’d like to get to like him. He’s going to be our next PM. He has a lot on his plate - not just the country - his own party. The Labour Party have a lot of factions and schisms that he needs to keep on top of.

It was a Bob Marley tribute event.
Here is Keir Starmer (61) with his wife Victoria (60) who works in the NHS ‘with a fantastic team’.
They have been married for 15y and she stays mostly in the background. I think they seem very grounded and happy.

Casdon

Joseann

He doesn't appear to like wearing a tie much in the photos on here!

True, but he combs his hair regularly, wears a suit that fits him properly, and looks like he’s had a wash, which is a good start.

Yes!
He could do with getting a dog for Number 10 though!

Urmston - welcome to the gang of hopefuls. We need an honest loyal pm and starmer seems the best hope currently